Designer Dreams, Designer Shades

"Darcy...can we go now?" I was itching to go to the park. Dad was home early, so I wanted to go to the park and play Darcy a song I just wrote...but no, she wanted to sit here in my room and weave a friendship bracelet. We were sitting on my bed and I was holding the ends of the green, purple, and white threads of the friendship bracelet she was almost done making.

"Five more minutes," she muttered, still so focused on the bracelet. I dropped the stupid thing in my impatience, making Darcy cry out in frustration.

"Alright, let's head on over to the park!" I said excitedly, grabbing my keys off my desk and heading for the door. Darcy reluctantly followed behind me, pocketing the bracelet. I told my parents where we were going and we drove off, Darcy sitting shotgun.

I hoped she would actually listen to my song this time. Well, I mean, she always listened to my songs, but I wanted her to hear the things I was trying to say to her, too. This might sound wrong, but I can only tell her how I really feel about her through a song.

I sat down under a fairly well shading tree, pulling up my guitar. Darcy sat down, too, resting her head on my lap and pulling her stupid little friendship bracelet out of her pocket so she could work on it some more. "Are you ready to listen to my song?"

"Yep," Darcy said, even though she only had eyes for the threads of the bracelet. Ugh, whatever. I just played my song anyways.

"So...what did you think of the song?"

"I liked it."

I hung my head and sighed. "Darce, were you even listening?" But she just wordlessly took my wrist, gently tying the finished friendship bracelet onto me. "Oh, it’s for me?"

"Yeah!" Darcy said happily, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face. She looked so tired and her eyes were dark.

“Sleepy?” I guessed knowingly, putting down my guitar.

“Very,” Darcy yawned, rubbing her eyes and complaining when I picked her head up off my lap so I could lie down beside her. Darcy stretched out my arm and used it as a pillow, though. “Drew, I liked your song. Who’s it about?”

Of course, when she asks, I don’t have the guts to tell her the truth. “It’s just a song, Darce, don’t worry about it. Get some sleep.”

She fell asleep in my arms within minutes.



Oh, back to reality. Macy and I were in the movie theater watching that one vampire movie all the girls love, and in the movie, the guy who’s not her boyfriend gave the girl this little bracelet with some wooden charm on it. I guess that’s what triggered the flashback. I also remembered how Macy made me a friendship bracelet.

Macy actually made me one and gave it to me…the day after Darcy did. Macy said she made them for the whole tennis team, though, and she did. She made Darcy one, but Darcy never wore it. Macy’s friendship bracelet also looked so much more professional and neat. Darcy messed up a few times. She put purple next to the green when it was supposed to be white against the green, and the pattern was off in a few spots, but I wore Darcy’s bracelet more. I still have that bracelet. I lost the one Macy gave to me.

I was bored the whole damn movie, I’m not gonna lie, but Macy loved this shit, so I put up with it. I can honestly say I was glad to get her home afterwards. I went back to The Grind just as they were closing up. No sign of Darcy, and the barista said he hadn’t seen her since that day. I didn’t trust him, though. I drove down to Darcy’s house instead.

I’d never been there in our younger years, but I knew where it was. Darcy lived in a pretty sketchy part of the town, so it was understandable that she wanted to spend so much time at our house. I was nervous to be here, actually. It didn’t look like a very wholesome environment now, and no one was even here. I wondered what it looked like back in the day.

I hesitantly walked up to the front door, raising my hand like I was about to knock, but I stopped myself. Why was I even here? I hated Darcy…right? “Can I help you?”

I was startled by the little old lady who appeared out of thin fucking air right behind me. “I-I’m looking for Darcy…”

The scary old lady’s face instantly softened. “Young man, Darcy Williams hasn’t lived here for three years now."

“I know, but she’s back, so I thought maybe she was staying here…”

“Why would she be staying here when her father’s in the hospital?”

…That was news to me. “Darcy’s dad is in the hospital?” I repeated stupidly.

“Yes,” the old lady said, irritable again as she hobbled to her home next door. “Dying of liver cancer, and not a soul that cares.”

“Oh, man…uh, thank you!” I called out to her, but my words were only met with the slamming of a door.

I trotted back to my car, but once I started driving, I had to think, Oh, which hospital? I couldn’t sleep that night, so I spent the hours lighting up and just thinking about Darcy. Maybe I was a jerk to her. Knowing her father was dying made me feel that much worse.

I still felt like I had the right to be a jerk, though. She never gave me a reason for her leaving, and she was a straight up bitch when we met again after a whole three damn years. Who did she think she was, strutting around town in all those high end clothing labels?

The Darcy I knew wasn’t the girl at The Grind the other night. I know people change, but not that much! She was so thin and had so much make up and looked like she was plain out trying too hard. The Darcy I knew loved vintage clothing, bright colors, shredded skinny jeans, odd patterns, Converse... But then again, that was the Darcy in my mind, who would be forever sixteen.

I knew I should still be mad at her, and that she deserved it…but I couldn’t help myself.

Darcy was still super fucking cute, and I can’t stand it.